Autumn arrived very abruptly this year. The end of August heralded the end of peaches and almost all the tomatoes, it seems. I have too many years of remembering my mother and grandmother angrily canning tomatoes in a steamy kitchen to get nostalgic about putting tomatoes up. However, that urge to put food by may be ingrained as the daylight hours shorten. As most of us move into a busier time of year, having a larder that’s stocked up is handy, and, frequently, economical as well.
A recent sale on canned tomatoes reminded me that I needed to make another batch of tomato sauce. I searched for several years for a first-rate basic sauce that I could make from canned tomatoes, and finally found one in Staff Meals from Chanterelle by David Waltuck, a dandy book that I believe is still in print. I usually make this up in a double batch. The recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but I’ve used whole tomatoes in their juice and diced tomatoes, pretty much whatever I have on hand. I admit that if it’s the canned whole ones, I open them over a large strainer set in a bowl, so that I can tear apart each tomato and strain out the seeds, which is probably unnecessary, but that’s my habit and practice.
While it’s cooking, I label freezer bags (including how much is in each bag), so I can freeze it in 1- and 2-cup portions. Yes, of course the last one ends up being labeled "1 C. +" And as long as I’m being so organized, I freeze the bags on cookie sheets, so that they can be stacked easily for storage.
And why do I keep this on hand? Well, obviously it’s the basis for pasta sauces, but I use it in risottos, pot roasts, all kinds of things. When a recipe calls for less than one cup, I break off a piece of the frozen slab.
Tasty Basic Tomato Sauce
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small garlic head, minced
3-28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes
1-6 oz. can tomato paste
1 c. full-bodied red wine
2 Tbs. dried oregano
1 Tbs. dried thyme
3 bay leaves
½ tsp. hot red pepper flakes
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, covered, until they’re softened andtranslucent but not browned. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, oregano, thyme, bay leaves and pepper flakes. Raise the heat to medium and bring to a slow boil. Drop the heat to low and allow to simmer, uncovered, stirring once in a while, for 2-3 hours. Because I prefer this in a non-chunky style, I use an immersion blender, those long things that you put right in the pan, at some point in the cooking to puree the saude. I fish out the bay leaves before doing this, because they don’t puree well. If the sauce needs more cooking, I’ll return the bay leaves to the pan; otherwise I’ll continue as below.
When the sauce has reached the desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaves. Season with salt, use immediately or store in refrigerator or freezer.
Makes about 8 cups.
-Ann